Here’s how India can still reach the semi-finals in T20 World Cup 2021

Back-to-back victories for India in the T20 World Cup 2021! However, will it be enough to earn them a place in the semi-finals? Might be! As far as Group 2 is concerned, Pakistan have already qualified for the knock-out stage. Hence, only one other team from this group can go through. As of now, New Zealand, Afghanistan and India are contention. Out of which, the Virat Kohli-led side has the least chances.

However, the hopes are still alive and there’s a possible scenario of India going through. As they defeated Scotland comprehensively by eight wickets, their net run-rate has jumped to an impressive – +1.619, better than that of New Zealand and Afghanistan. Hence, the Virat Kohli-led side has all the reasons to plan for a qualification.

Speaking of how India’s clash against Scotland panned out, the inaugural-edition champions chased down 89 in mere 6.3 overs, strengthening their chances of qualifying for the knock-outs.  However, it won’t be a straight forward task for the Men in Blue as matters aren’t entirely in their hands. As far as the remaining Group 2 matches are concerned, all the teams are slated to play one more game in the league stage.

While the Pakistan vs Scotland game will be a dead rubber, the other two clashes – New Zealand vs Afghanistan and India vs Namibia matches hold the real deal. These two clashes would determine the fate of three teams in the competition. Hence, fans must brace themselves to witness some exciting action.

Meanwhile, let’s look at how India can still qualify for T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final:

Condition 1: The first and foremost hurdle in India’s way to semis is New Zealand. As of now, the Kiwis are second in the points table with three wins in four games. Hence, they’ll go through the semis after defeating Afghanistan, regardless of the margin. Hence, in order to keep India in the race, Afghanistan would need to stop the Kiwis from crossing the line.

Not to forget, New Zealand’s NRR (+1.277) is worse than that of Afghanistan and India. Hence, their chances of going through will be over if Mohammad Nabi’s men upset them in Abu Dhabi.

Condition 2: If Afghanistan defeat New Zealand, they will take their tally of six points. As they (+1.481) are not far behind India in terms of NRR, one can expect them to go past India with a win against the Kiwis. In that case, both New Zealand and Afghanistan will be tied at six points. As India are currently on four points, they can also take their tally to six points.

In this case, the NNR will come into the picture. As India are already the best in this aspect and their remaining fixture is against Namibia, Afghanistan’s win against New Zealand will would almost seal India’s place in the semi-finals.

Even if Afghanistan defeat the Kiwis by a colossal margin and go past India’s NRR, the Men in Blue will still have an advantage. As their clash is the last of the league stage, Virat Kohli’s men will take the field knowing exactly what they need to do.

Group 2 Points Table of T20 World Cup 2021 after Match 37